Movie history deserves no less than this stunning encapsulation, cleverly designed and gorgeously rendered.
McCarthy presents an ambitious encapsulation of the birth of movies with humor and modern touches.
Blending her customary, big-eyed cartoons with a more sophisticated realism, McCarthy offers a stirring, occasionally quirky deep dive into early film. From Eadweard Muybridge’s galloping horse to the last movies of the silent era, a selection of famous films is presented as McCarthy chronicles cinema history. Meticulous art captures architectural details, silent film stars, and even the world’s earliest example of a silly cat video (“The Boxing Cats” from 1894). The book links early films with movies kids may have seen; the Maschinenmensch of Metropolis is paired with C-3PO of Star Wars, Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last with Hugo and Back to the Future, and so on. Some inclusions, like Johnny Depp’s appearance in Benny & Joon, are unfortunate in light of their stars’ behavior. McCarthy briefly addresses the prejudice confronted by people of color in the film industry, with special attention paid to Josephine Baker and contemporary films like Black Panther. Backmatter includes five stories from film’s past, all worthy of their own books. The overall effect is less exhausting than it is inspiring. Kids will reach the end and likely be disappointed that the story doesn’t continue. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Movie history deserves no less than this stunning encapsulation, cleverly designed and gorgeously rendered. (author’s note, bibliography) (Nonfiction picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5230-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
How can such a passionate topic be rendered so blandly?
Discover the history of the world’s most effective protests.
Arranged in a mostly chronological format, this book documents an international history of protest and resistance. The text is quick to note that it “is not a complete history. It includes a selection of famous and less well-known movements, focusing on nonviolent protest. Rather than describe a handful of protests and their contexts in depth, [they] have chosen to present a broad range to give a sense of the many possibilities of what protest can be.” This summation captures both the strengths and the flaws of the text. The Haworth-Booths provide glimpses into myriad cultures and social groups, including movements not frequently seen in U.S. children’s books such as Chile’s early 1970s protests against food shortages and Nigeria’s Abeokuta Women’s Revolt in the 1940s. Unfortunately, though, they cover so many topics that the information has been condensed until key pieces are missing. This could be a permissible sin if there were thorough, user-friendly backmatter enabling readers to investigate more deeply elsewhere, but the cramped bibliographic essay does not comprehensively provide specific citations or documentation. Some sections are missing vital information, such as whether stories are documented or anecdotal, key facts, and cultural context. The crisp tone is more reminiscent of a textbook than enjoyable nonfiction, and the pink, gray, and black color scheme of the illustrations provides little excitement. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
How can such a passionate topic be rendered so blandly? (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-84365-512-1
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Pavilion Children's
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Inspiration for nature-loving children.
If you’re a child who collects nature’s treasures, you’re in good company.
This cleverly conceived and appealingly executed title addresses young readers directly, connecting their noticing and collecting habits to those of others who continued to observe, collect, and organize in adulthood. Montgomery introduces a grandly diverse array of nine naturalists, researchers, and explorers from Maria Sibylla Merian, who studied butterflies in the 17th century, to Bonnie Lei, whose present-day research focuses on sea-life conservation. Three are people of color, and the majority are female. The young George Washington Carver collected seed pods; deep-sea explorer William Beebe collected birds’ eggs; and young Jane Goodall put worms under her pillow! Other profiles include Charles Darwin, tree-canopy explorer Margaret Lowman, herpetologist Diego Cisneros-Heredia, and fossil hunter Mary Anning. The vignettes from childhood are engaging, well paced, and smoothly told. Short introductions to the adult scientists follow, in a smaller font. In her author’s note, the writer introduces the concept of naturalist intelligence. Lechuga’s friendly illustrations feature the brown-skinned girl with Afro puffs and overflowing pockets shown on the cover as well as the scientists as children, then as adults, in appropriate times and places. The backmatter includes more about the grown-up scientists and the author’s own sensible “rules for collecting,” which involve respect for nature, the people she lives with, and herself (safety). The illustrator reminds readers that habits of observation are something she also shares with scientists.
Inspiration for nature-loving children. (field guides, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62354-122-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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